Florisia Read online

  The Children

  of When

  Book 1: Florisia

  Jennifer Redmile

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright © 2016 by Jennifer Redmile

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is dedicated to my amazing husband Paul, without whose support, encouragement and continuous supply of lovingly made cups of tea, the pages of this book would be blank.

  Table of Contents

  Start of The Children of When: Florisia

  Other books by Jennifer Redmile

  About Jennifer

  Connect with Jennifer

  Chapter One

  - Leah -

  Leah climbed into bed, punching her pillow in frustration. Why couldn't she just stay here for the rest of her life? What idiot decided everything had to change just because you turned fourteen?

  She sighed in frustration as her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of her twelve-year-old foster-sister, Maddie. "I don't know why you're so miserable, I'm the one stuck in this boring hole for another two years. Aren't you even a little bit excited about where you're going?"

  Leah groaned as she pulled the covers up around her neck, snuggling down into her warm, comfy bed for the last time. She'd deliberately stayed up later than usual in the hope Maddie would be asleep, because talking to little Miss 'I'd-be-excited-to-be-going-on-an adventure' was the last thing she needed.

  A whoosh sounded from the other side of the room, followed by a thump as a pillow landed on her head. Maddie giggled. "C'mon Leah. Don't be such a sourpuss!"

  Leah huffed and threw the pillow back. "Yeah, whatever. Look, I just hate not knowing anything about where I'm going. And I happen to love living in this boring hole!"

  Memories of carefree summers spent swimming and playing in the crystal-clear lakes with her friends, or racing headlong through fields blooming with an abundance of flowers, filled her mind. She groaned at the thought of never doing any of those things again; well at least not in Naissance, where she wanted to be.

  Maddie's sigh drifted across the silent room. "Ok, I get it. Sorry, I didn't mean to be a pain...'night Leah, sweet dreams."

  The tension in Leah’s shoulders dissipated at the sound of Maddie's gentle snoring. Sighing with relief, she piled her hair on top of the pillow and rolled onto her side. The soft glow of moonlight seeped in through her bedroom window, calming her frayed nerves.

  She sorted through the few things she knew about what would happen the next day. She needed to arrive at The Circle, before nine o'clock on the morning of her fourteenth birthday. Tomorrow! The words jangled in her tired brain. From there, she would be transported to wherever all the other children who turned fourteen went. And that was all anybody seemed to know, or at least all they would tell her. So why the big secret? And why did everyone she asked just shake their heads and tell her she would find out soon enough?

  The same unanswered questions continued to tumble around in her head as she punched her pillow one more time. You're leaving Naissance tomorrow whether you like it or not, so you just need to get over yourself! She sighed and closed her eyes, knowing sleep would be a long time coming.

  * * *

  Leah opened her scratchy, sleep-deprived eyes to the sounds of bustling activity and a delicious smell. Pancakes, her favourite! She stretched and climbed out of bed, smiling as she pulled her hair up into its usual ponytail. Then she remembered what day it was. Noooo! She slumped back down on the bed, her eyes filling with tears.

  Why? she asked the roof for the gazillionth time.

  Because it's the rules - that's why! the roof replied; the only answer she ever received to that question. She wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all.

  "Leah... hurry up," Miriam, her Guardian for the last fourteen years, called from the kitchen. "It's nearly eight o'clock, and you don't want to be late."

  She almost laughed at the thought. What happened if you were late? Now there's a question she'd like answered!

  The thought of leaving Miriam made her heart ache. Round in all the right places, her Guardian always knew when to offer a comforting hug and a sympathetic ear. And somehow her hugs always made everything better.

  "Coming!" Leah pulled on her clothes while attempting to store a mental image of everything in her room. She was only allowed to take with her what she could fit in her pockets. And why was that again? Oh yeah, because that's another rule, she mimicked at the mirror. Pulling a sour face at her reflection, she slouched downstairs.

  She paused at the kitchen door, the usual morning mayhem in full swing, her younger foster-sisters in fine form. Maddie, who at twelve thought she knew everything, yelled at eight-year-old Sari for using too much maple syrup. While six-year-old Rhia tried to scrape strawberry jam out of the bottom of the jar, her tongue stuck out and twisted to the left, as if that would help the last drops come out easier.

  Leah’s eyes moved to where Miriam crouched over a basket, just inside the back door, reading the small white card that always accompanied a new arrival. So... the new baby had arrived to take her place already. Of course. Jealousy knifed through her at the sight of Miriam fussing over the tiny bundle.

  Suddenly the room quietened as they all realised Leah hovered in the doorway.

  "Morning honey," Miriam cried brightly, bustling over and enveloping her in a warm hug. "Happy birthday! Now, sit down and eat some breakfast. I cooked your favourite."

  Subdued murmurs of morning Leah, and happy birthday, came from the small figures sitting at the table as she took a seat. Miriam must have anticipated Leah's bad mood, and warned them not to annoy her.

  Usually her mouth would be watering at the thought of scoffing down as many of the warm fluffy pancakes as she could, until her stomach growled in protest. Today, she wasn't sure she could even swallow a mouthful.

  "Um... I saved you some maple syrup, Leah." Adoration shone from Sari's big, blue eyes as she passed the bottle over. "I know how much you love it." Those same eyes slipped over to Maddie, the adoration replaced by a cheeky sparkle, as she stuck out her tongue at her know-it-all sister.

  Leah heaved a huge sigh. She was doing a great job of ruining what would be her last memory of home. She smiled at Sari and accepted the bottle.

  "Thanks, Sarebear," Leah said, using her pet name to ease the tension, "and don't worry Maddie, I'll leave some for you too. How about we all pretend this is a normal birthday, and try not to think about anything else."

  At that, the girls jumped up and threw themselves at Leah, laughing and hugging her until Miriam shooed them back to their chairs.

  "Girls, let Leah eat her breakfast in peace," she said, as she brought the last stack of pancakes to the table.

  The next ten minutes were like a hundred other breakfasts eaten together over the years, full of laughter and playful teasing. With one small difference - everybody avoided discussing their plans for the rest of that day, or any other day in the future.

  * * *

  Leah stepped out of the front door to the kind of spring morning that would normally have made her heart sing. The newly awakened sun warmed the air, melting the early-morning frost and coaxing new growth from the bare-leafed trees. The delicious scent of freshly-baked bread snaked its way into the air, as she passed houses with windows and doors flung open to greet the day.

  All the houses in Naissance were pretty much the same; each identified more by the decorations and personal touches added by the various inhabitants than any architectural differences. She walked down the road towards The
Circle arm-in-arm with Miriam, soaking up the sights and smells and committing them to memory.

  As they neared their destination, Miriam stopped and squeezed her arm, eyes shining with unshed tears. Shame washed through Leah at her failure to even consider Miriam's pain, too wrapped up in her own self-pity to notice.

  "I want to give you something before you go." Miriam reached into the pocket of her dress, the same pocket that always contained whatever was needed to fix the situation at hand. "I'd forgotten all about this," Miriam said, handing her an old Hessian bag. "I bought it from a pedlar years ago; it was so unusual I couldn't resist. It's been sitting in a drawer for years, and this morning, a picture of it popped into my head and I knew I needed to give it to you. Something to remember me by..." Her voice wavered, as she smiled through tear-filled eyes.

  Leah opened the bag and pulled out a heavy circlet of finely wrought metal; almost the size of her palm, and very old. She held it up, smiling as it sparkled where the sunlight touched its golden edges. Intricately woven lines covered the crescent-moon shaped section at the bottom, the scrawl flowing like words from a long-forgotten language. A narrow ridge ran through the centre, as if something once lay there.

  She threw her arms around Miriam's ample body and was enclosed in a warm hug. "Thank you so much. It's beautiful." Leah let the tears flow as Miriam rubbed her back in soothing circles.

  "Well... time for me to go, honey," Miriam said softly, and Leah shivered at the sense of loss as she stepped out of Miriam's loving embrace for the last time.

  "Always remember I love you." Without another word, Miriam turned and hurried back the way they'd come.

  * * *

  Leah stood alone in the clearing called The Circle, exhausted from the stress and tears of the last few days. Pushing the annoying tendrils of hair escaping from their ponytail back from her face, she looked at her watch - two more minutes and this portal-thing should appear.

  The Guardian had given her short, clear instructions, patting her on the shoulder and leaving before she could ask any questions. Not that he would have answered them anyway. Thoughts of running away and hiding raced through her mind. Yeah right. As if she would ever do something like that. No, she'd do the right thing, as always.

  All lucid thoughts fled when a small glowing spot of light appeared in the air in front of her, shimmering, and wobbling slightly, as if unsure what to do next. She stared in awe as the spot slowly expanded, until it had grown into a doorway, a little taller and wider than herself. Okay... this was way weirder than she expected. She tried to see through the door, but nothing was visible beyond the light.

  A gust of wind, which seemed to be coming from inside the doorway, whipped around her as the light began to pulsate. What the...?

  And then it hit her. The Guardian said to enter the portal as soon as it appeared. So why was she still standing there gawking at it like a stunned goose? Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, lifting her foot to step forward, only to be sucked into the glowing light, the doorway winking out of existence behind her.

  * * *

  Leah opened her eyes to find herself encased in a room constructed completely of glass. She released her breath with a loud whoosh, the sound echoing off the walls all around her. Woah, talk about a deafening silence! She'd never really understood what the term meant until that moment.

  She blinked, and a door appeared in front of her.

  Cool, a way out.

  She blinked again, gasping at the sight of another door to her left, identical to the first one.

  Okay... something was seriously wrong here. The Guardian had simply told her to go through the door on the other side. He didn't say choose a door, he said go through the door.

  She looked from one door to the other, totally confused. She blinked again, groaning as another door appeared to her right.

  This is ridiculous... three doors? What am I supposed to do now?

  The worst part, was they all looked exactly the same. Closing her eyes, she wished for a neon sign saying 'Pick Me' to appear on the right one. But when her eyes popped back open, the same three identical doors stared back at her.

  "So... what happens if I choose the wrong one?" She jumped at the sound of her own voice bouncing off the glass walls all around her, making her head throb even more.

  "Pssssttt... I'd pick this door if I were you." A disembodied voice echoed off the glass, the same way her own had just done. She turned in a circle, trying to work out where the voice came from.

  "Who's there?" she whispered.

  "Don't worry about who I am." The soft gravelly voice seemed to be coming from somewhere beyond the door right in front of her. "You only need to open this door and step out. I was getting worried you might open the wrong one, so thought I should give you a hint."

  "Umm, why should I trust you? I can't even see you! You could be some maniac trying to tempt me to make the wrong decision." She swallowed down the hysteria rising up into her throat, the constant echo making her headache worse by the minute.

  "Well, nobody can say I didn't try," came the gravelly voice again. "Suit yourself, I'm outta here."

  Leah's mind raced, her eyes flicking between the three doors. Okay, so whoever was on the other side of the middle door at least sounded like they wanted to help. With her heart beating so loud she expected the sound to start echoing off the glass, Leah moved forward, turned the handle of the middle door, and stepped into the unknown.

  Chapter Two

  - Raff -

  Holding his breath, Raff tried to raise the window without making any sound. The last thing he needed was for his foster-brother, Jeb, to wake up and start asking questions in his whiny little twelve-year-old voice. His heart racing with excitement, he wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans so he could get a better grip on the bottom of the window. The window inched upwards, a welcome breeze fanning his flushed face.

  He checked his pockets one last time to make sure he had everything he needed, touching the outline of his torch, and Jeb's pocket-knife, through the fabric of his jeans.

  Stomach churning, he grabbed the windowsill, lifting his leg out to search for the branch below. He paused, as his totally annoying inner-voice tried one more time to talk him out of going.

  You're gonna be in so much trouble if Garth finds out!

  Raff grinned, considering the consequences for a millisecond. For once Garth, his Guardian, wouldn't be able to punish him. Raff turned fourteen the next day, so would be leaving Naissance anyway. With a carefree shrug, his foot disappeared out the window, feeling around for the first step toward a new adventure.

  * * *

  Raff crept through the dark streets of Naissance, heading for the cemetery. The houses were all in complete darkness, the moonlight casting eerie shadows that sent shivers down his spine. But he refused to turn back. He couldn't possibly leave the next day without his pocket-knife, not to mention his favourite hat.

  He remembered exactly where he left them, while kicking a ball around in the cemetery with Jeb earlier in the day. Most people thought them weird for hanging out in such a creepy place. But then, most people didn't know what awesome goal markers the headstones made.

  Raff had kicked the ball between the headstones and cheered at his third goal. Hah! He'll never catch up now! He threw a gloating look at Jeb, challenging him to beat his three goals to one lead. Jeb frowned and gave the ball an almighty boot, growling when it skewed off in the wrong direction, landing in a section of the thorny hedge marking the perimeter of the grounds. Chuckling and shaking his head, Raff ran to retrieve the ball, dropping to his hands and knees to crawl inside the hedge.

  And that was when he took off his hat, so it didn't get snagged. Using his pocket-knife, he cut his way through the prickly shrubs, silently cursing Jeb as the branches scraped his bare arms and legs. By the time he found the elusive ball, he itched like crazy, his clothes soaked in sweat. Backing out, he threw his pocket-knife into his hat, meaning to grab them both on h
is way home.

  Except he forgot. Hence, the reason for this trip in the dead of night. His feet slowed as he approached the entrance. The place felt heaps creepier at night than during the day. Sucking in a deep breath, he shone his torch toward the hedge, relieved to see his hat still lay in the same place.

  Trying to ignore the creepiness of being in a cemetery after dark, he hurried over to grab his stuff, annoyed to find his hat overflowing with leaves, twigs and various debris. Some small furry creature must have decided his hat would make a perfect home.

  "Well, too bad. It's mine", he announced, to no-one in particular, picking up the hat and dumping its contents on the ground. Right, now to find his pocket-knife.

  Keeping his torch steady, he bent to scrabble through the small pile of debris, grinning when he spied the compact knife peeking out from underneath a dirty old piece of cloth in the pile. But when he reached out to push the rag aside, a small bag containing something solid met his fingers. Picking up his knife, he stuffed it in his pocket, then decided to check out the bag as well, curious about what it held.

  He jumped at the sound of rustling in the bushes behind him, suddenly reminded of his creepy surroundings. Shuddering, he added the bag to his pocket, jammed his hat on his head, and headed for home.

  He was almost at the front door when he remembered he needed to go back in the same way he came out. Slipping around to the side of the house, he scaled the tree below his room with practised ease, climbing through the window, and closing it quietly behind him. The deep, steady breathing coming from the other side of the room told him Jeb still slept.

  Okay, time to find out what’s in the mystery bag. He stripped off his dirty clothes and pulled on clean pyjama pants, climbed into bed, and turned on his torch as he upended the bag onto his bed. Something dropped out with a soft plop.